The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and should not be construed as constituting prior art.
Many portions of the human anatomy naturally articulate relative to one another. Generally, the articulation of these anatomic regions is smooth and non-abrasive in nature, particularly in the presence of natural tissues, such as cartilage and strong bone.
Over time, however, due to injury, stress, degenerative health problems and various other issues, the ease by which these anatomic regions are able to articulate degenerates in quality, thereby leaving the articulation of these anatomic regions abrasive and impractical. For example, injury may cause the cartilage or the bony structure to become weak, damaged, or even non-existent. As a result, the natural articulation of these anatomical regions is no longer possible for these affected individuals.
At such times, it may be desirable to replace the affected anatomical regions with a prosthetic component so that normal articulation may be restored. As part of this process, it may become necessary to replace the acetabulum with a prosthetic component if its articulation with the proximal femur becomes rough, abrasive or damaged. To assist the operating surgeon accurately install the acetabular cup in the acetabulum in accordance with a pre-operatively defined orientation, a patient-matched acetabular cup placement guide may be used. To secure the patient-matched placement guide to the acetabulum, traditional procedures sometimes utilize a trocar tip pin (e.g., a Steinmann pin). As these pins encounter the surface of the acetabulum, the acute angle of insertion can cause the pin to deflect off the acetabular surface, thereby causing an inaccurate translation of the placement guide's position. As a result, a high level of variability exists in terms of accurately placing the cup in line with its targeted pre-operatively planned orientation.
What is needed then is an improved pin that can more securely engage the bony surface surrounding the acetabulum. The present application is intended to improve upon and resolve some of these known deficiencies of the art.